Once, this place was actually a gate. That’s right, we’re standing at Place de la Porte de Paris in Saint-Denis. This isn’t just any square. It marks the boundary between La Plaine Saint-Denis and the southern part of Saint-Denis’s city center.
Let’s step back in time. Imagine the late Middle Ages. Place de la Porte de Paris was one of five gates in Saint-Denis’s ramparts. Royal corteges passed through here on their way to the basilica. Between 1356 and 1416, fortifications rose to protect the city after the Hundred Years’ War.
Tragedy struck in 1567. The battle of Saint-Denis damaged these fortifications. Catholics and Protestants clashed right here where we stand.
Now, fast forward to 1724. Louis XV ordered the road to Paris widened. It grew to 35 meters wide featuring two side alleys and four rows of elm trees. It was renamed Grand Chemin Pavé.
Around 1750, the gate was restored. It became a grid topped with a stone lintel. However, this embellishment was removed in the 1770s.
Even back then, Place de la Porte de Paris was well-known. Abbot Lebeuf mentioned it explicitly in 1754. Another author noted it in 1811 as the entrance to Saint-Denis. These writings reveal that several religious communities had long been in this area.
In the 18th century, the monastery of the Carmelite Sisters extended to this very place. Today, that monastery is the Musée d’art et d’histoire de Saint-Denis. Irrigated by the Montfort stream, these grounds held the rose gardens of horticulturist Jacques-Louis Descemet. The nearby La Roseraie kindergarten keeps the memory alive.
The face of Place de la Porte de Paris changed dramatically in 1965. Construction of the A1 highway viaduct cut through the square. A bus station was built here in 1976. By 1996, a central bus station was added. Around the year 2000, talks began about redeveloping the square.
There was a square at Place de la Porte de Paris in the 19th century. In 1890, a bronze statue by Ernest-Eugène Hiolle was erected. It honored chemist Nicolas Leblanc. Leblanc had created an artificial soda factory near Port Saint-Denis in 1791.
The statue’s pedestal read: NICOLAS LEBLANC / BORN IN 1742 DIED IN 1806 / EXTRACTED SODA FROM SEA SALT / INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION 1886.
This statue was spared during the German occupation. Many statues were melted down for metal. Nicolas Leblanc’s statue was moved to the Musée National des Arts et Métiers in Paris.
The square vanished in 1957 to make way for a traffic circle.
Today, Place de la Porte de Paris is a major communication hub. It connects several important roads. These include Rue Gabriel-Péri, Avenue du Président-Wilson, Rue Danielle-Casanova, Boulevard Marcel-Sembat, and Boulevard Anatole-France.
So, as you stand here, remember the layers of history beneath your feet. From royal entrances to wartime clashes to industrial innovation, Place de la Porte de Paris has witnessed it all.